PolitiFact (June 3) reports that Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11th Dist.) has been telling his Morris County friends that the United States is increasing its debt twice as fast as the economy is expanding, and confirms that it is so.

What Frelinghuysen doesn’t say is why this is happening. President George W. Bush squandered trillions of dollars on two wars, by cutting taxes for the rich and by encouraging the banks to lend money to unqualified mortgage applicants.

Bush more than quadrupled the national debt. We will be digging ourselves out of the pit Bush put us in for decades. During that time, the Republicans will always be telling us that it is somebody else’s fault. This is like having an arsonist blaming the fire department for starting his fires. Will Americans be fooled again?